Sunday, November 13, 2005

Mt. Pilatus

Both Devin and Darbi had told me that I absolutely had to go up Mt. Pilatus. I got up early Saturday morning so that I could get on my way. When I walked out of my hotel, I found the entire lake rimmed with market vendors of every sort. It was absolutely beautiful - people all over the place and such a positive feeling. I browsed around a bit, got some breakfast, and then began to explore how to get to Pilatus. I bought a ticket that handled transportation to the tram center and then all the way up the mountain. The one picture of me precariously leaning on the cable railing was a real test of my wits. Had I stumbled or slipped, I would have dropped no less than a thousand feet off the cliff. The top of Mt. Pilatus is 7,000 feet in the air. The pictures give you some feeling of how high it is but it really doesn't do it justice. There are a few buildings up toward the summit - one the little white church which is very near a rock slide area that I assume will eventually take it. I can't imagine who thought of building a church at this altitude and I have further trouble imagining who attends it.

The Swiss Alps are in the distance behind Mt. Pilatus. Most of the people who go up spend several hours at the top hiking around. I met numerous people and struck up wonderful conversations. Without exception, the Swiss are very warm and welcoming people. They are curious about the U.S.A. and no one made even close to politically-oriented comments. Everyone was a delight. I loved being at the top, although I have to admit that my fear of heights was a bit problematic. Suffice it to say, I stayed close to the inside of all the trails.

2 comments:

So which part of this landscape is our new retirement home??!! I can't believe that the church is the same picture as Darbi's from 2002!Gram was totally mystified by the concept of your blog, but enjoyed the pictures and descriptions! We are both enjoying our vicarious travel experiences, but miss you!

Glad Gram and you had a chance to get on the computer together. Is that the first time she's had a chance to look at the blog. By the way, if you ever want to go back to previous posts that you can't see, you have to click on the "archives" on the front page right margin.

I'd be happy with a modest little townhouse perched above the city gates. I went up there walking last Saturday night and it was truly awe-inspiring.

About Me

I maintain two blogs - Pursuing Leadership by Denny (my emerging ideas and book reviews related to leadership) and Global Student Affairs (issues and resources for internationalization of higher education). These blogs offer insight into my views and are essential tools in my ongoing writing and consulting, pursued after 40+ years in higher education in the U.S.A. and Qatar. I am an advocate for quality education and its transforming impact on student learning.